Speakers

Prior to this, Tanya has been in advocacy and consulting roles with the aim of increasing philanthropic investment into Indigenous development. Tanya was an integral member of the team responsible for the model design and establishment of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. More recently Tanya was the Joint Campaign Director for Recognise, the movement to raise community awareness and support for constitutional change to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution.

Tanya currently sits on the boards of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, the National Board of the Australian Red Cross, and has recently been appointed as the Independent Chair of Price Waterhouse Coopers Indigenous Consulting. In 2013 Tanya was named in the South Australian Women’s Honour Roll and for two consecutive years was recognised in the list of ‘100 Women of Influence’ Awards run by Westpac and the Australian Financial Review to recognise women who are achievers in Australian business and society.

Siobhan Toohill leads sustainability at Westpac – Australia’s oldest bank and company. Siobhan has responsibility for sustainability governance, community engagement and social impact, climate change policy and action planning, Indigenous engagement programs, and philanthropy programs including the Westpac Foundation (supporting social inclusion and job creation) and the Westpac Bicentennial Foundation (scholarship program). Westpac has been rated the top bank globally for sustainability performance by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the past three years.
Prior to joining Westpac Siobhan established the sustainability function at Stockland Property Group – an ASX50 company also recognised for global sustainability leadership. Trained in architecture and urban design Siobhan retains a passion for cities and places, reflected in her board positions as: Director, Committee for Sydney; Trustee, Sydney Living Museums; and as former Deputy Chair, Green Building Council of Australia. With her family, Siobhan raises guide dog puppies and podcasts at outthefront.com.au.

Dr Christine Nixon has a strong history of fighting for justice and equality, especially assisting women, multicultural and minority groups. Christine commenced her police career in 1972 and, despite a corrupt, male dominated culture, rose through the ranks to become Assistant Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force. In 2001, she became Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police, the first woman in Australia to achieve this position. In 2009, after her resignation from the Force, Christine became Chair of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority for one year. She used her extensive policing skills and personal understanding of grief and loss to rebuild communities affected by the 2009 fires in Victoria. Christine is currently Deputy Chancellor, Monash University and Chair of Monash College Pty Ltd. Her qualifications include an Honorary Doctorate of Laws, Macquarie University, and Master of Public Administration, Harvard University. Christine has been awarded the Australian Police Medal, the National Medal, the Centenary Medal and the New South Wales Police Medal.

As General Manager of AnglicareSA’s Community Services, Nancy oversees more than 100 services including community financial services, homelessness, foster care, emergency assistance, disability, community development, early learning, Aboriginal, CALD and mental health.

Nancy has a Social Work qualification and, having commenced her career as a Child Protection and Youth Justice worker, has spent many years working in various fields, reflecting her commitment to social justice and equity and to those most vulnerable in the community.

Nancy has held executive positions in the State Government for 13 years, the first eight years in Child Protection, Alternative Care and Youth Justice managing, developing and reforming services. In these fields, Nancy worked extensively and closely with the Non-Government sector, being responsible for the contract management of Alternative Care Services including Foster Care, Residential and Emergency Care Services.

For the past five years, Nancy has worked in Ageing, Disability and Exceptional Needs; managing services and aligning these to national and state priorities. More recently she has had responsibility for the preparation and transition of all Disability SA adult clients and children in regional and remote areas of SA to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Nancy has also had responsibility for the statewide Exceptional Needs Unit which responds to those people who have needs and complexities that require multi-agency responses, and is Chair of the Exceptional Needs Executive Committee, which oversees the Unit’s strategic directions and responses.

Prior to this, Nancy worked in the non-government sector, spending eight years in management and two years as a counsellor.

Amanda McIntyre is responsible for the delivery of policies and programmes to advance gender equality and improve the lives of Australian women.

A passionate advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of women, Amanda is the Department’s current Gender Diversity Champion. She was also the Senior Executive Service leader of the Department’s volunteer-led Women’s Network. During that time she drove work on a gender pay gap analysis and a gender diversity strategy, as well as advocating for a cultural audit of the Department.

Prior to her role in Office for Women, Amanda was the Department’s Chief Financial Officer and First Assistant Secretary, Financial Services Division. In 2014, she was responsible for the delivery of corporate services to the G20 Taskforce.

Amanda has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws from the Australian National University. Amanda is a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and also has a Diploma of Government Fraud Investigations and Certificate IV Training.

Shelley Cable is a 21 year old Noongar woman, born and raised in Perth. After winning Curtin University’s most prestigious scholarship, she studied a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Finance) at Curtin University, placing in the top 1% of all university students on four separate occasions, before graduating in 2014. Since graduating, Shelley has spent the last 18 months working as a Finance Analyst at Shell Australia.

Shelley was recently awarded the title of Miss NAIDOC 2016, making her an official ambassador for the Indigenous community. This, combined with her part-time study at Melbourne Business School through the Murra Indigenous business program, prompted her to take a six month leave-of-absence from her work, to pursue further her passions of Indigenous business and financial literacy.

She hopes to use her position throughout this time, to raise the profile of Indigenous businesses and professionals, whilst also raising awareness of the need for financial literacy amongst Indigenous Australians.

Basia started working with in the public service as a community health care worker for The Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADAHC). As a small business owner she ran a successful cafe, a business that put her at the heart of her community.

Basia now works at Hills Community Aid as a community engagement worker and was key in the ‘Hills Daily Grind’ social enterprise winning the Hills Shire Council award for – Excellence in Social Enterprise & Community Engagement. Basia is a mother of four, a grandmother of one, a survivor of domestic violence and a passionate advocate for women’s rights.

Basia’s journey included financial destitution, unemployment, homelessness and domestic abuse. Her journey now includes a NILS loan, a fresh start, a leap of faith into social enterprise, a strong philosophy of community engagement and a determination to tell her story to empower women to be resilient.

MJ Bellotti has more than 25 years of executive experience having worked for some of Australia’s largest and most successful companies across the construction, mining, services and manufacturing sectors. She brings a high level of expertise in building high profile brands that clients want to work with and employees want to work for. Her roles span business strategy, change management, business development, marketing and communication.

She is passionate about growing businesses, building relationships, enhancing brand value and driving positive change that delivers tangible results.

Today she is the EGM Corporate Affairs for Suncorp and an Industry Fellow for University of Queensland.

Fred Ohlsson is Group Executive, ANZ Australia with responsibility for Retail and Commercial Banking Australia. He returned to ANZ’s Australia business in 2016 from ANZ New Zealand where he was Managing Director, Retail and Business Banking since 2013.

Fred has held a number of senior roles at ANZ since 2001 including General Manager Commercial Products (Australia) and General Manager Products and Marketing, Esanda. Before joining ANZ, Fred was an Associate at McKinsey and Company.

Originally from Sweden, he holds an MBA from the Bocconi University School of Management, Milan, Italy and a Bachelor of Science in Managerial Economics from Lund University, Sweden.

Debby was appointed CEO of HESTA on 2 March 2015, and is responsible for leading the $33 billion industry fund dedicated to the health and community services sector.

Debby joined HESTA in 2008 as an Executive leading the Member Advice Unit, and assumed the role of Deputy CEO in 2012.

A proven leader with more than 25 years’ experience in super and financial services, Debby has a wealth of experience having held a range of senior positions within a number of financial institutions and having run her own business as an Employee Benefit Consultant for 12 years.

Debby is a Director of Fund Executives Association Limited (FEAL), an organisation dedicated to supporting the professional development of leaders in the superannuation industry, Industry Super Australia Ltd (ISA), Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) and the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI).

Debby holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Natal (South Africa), is a Certified Financial Planner™, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees and a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Hear stories, challenges and successes of real women and look at actions that individuals and organisations can take to improve financial resilience.

Catherine is Managing Director of EnergyAustralia, one of the country’s leading energy retailers, providing gas and electricity to more than 2.6 million customer accounts throughout the east coast of Australia. Catherine is also a member of the Board of the Reserve Bank of Australia and a member of the Business Council of Australia.

She joined international oil and gas company BG Group in 2009 as Managing Director of its Australian business, QGC Pty Limited, and Executive Vice President for Australia and China. Catherine led the development of Queensland’s first LNG project, one of Australia’s largest capital infrastructure projects at the time. In 2012 she was elevated to the position of Chairman, BG Australia, a role in which she was accountable for key relationships in Australia, including federal and state government stakeholders and various trade and industry bodies.

Prior to joining BG Group, Catherine had a long career with Shell and BHP Billiton. At Shell, she was Executive Vice President of Shell Gas & Power with responsibility for Shell’s LNG, gas transmission and power generation interests across Africa. She held similar roles covering North Asia, Russia, North America and Latin America.

In the 1990s, she worked for BHP Petroleum in Melbourne and London. She was formerly a Director on the Board of the 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation and a member of the Australian G20 business body (B20), the Lowy Institute’s G20 Advisory Committee and the Catholic Foundation Board.

Delia Rickard was appointed to the position of Deputy Chair of the ACCC in June 2012 for a period of five years.

Prior to her appointment to the ACCC, Delia held a range of senior positions at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). She led much of ASIC’s consumer protection work covering areas such as financial literacy, dispute resolution schemes, e-payments and industry self-regulation. She was responsible for developing the first National Financial Literacy Strategy and chaired several OECD Financial Literacy sub-committees. She also led ASIC’s role in the implementation of the Government’s Super Choice policy and was the founding Chair of ASIC’s Corporate Social Responsibility program.

She is a trustee of the Jan Pentland Foundation – an organisation dedicated to providing scholarships for those who want to work as financial counsellors and a judge for the annual MoneySmart Week awards. She is also a pro bono director of FairTrade Australia New Zealand and Chair of Good Shepherd’s Advisory Committee on Financial Inclusion Action Plans.

In the January 2011 Australia Day Awards Delia was awarded the Public Service Medal for her contribution to consumer protection and financial services.

Delia is a member of the ACCC’s Enforcement Committee, Adjudications Committee, Communications Committee and Compliance Committee. She is also Co-chair of the ACCC’s Consumer Consultative Committee.

Maha has spent the last 23 years working together with the Muslim Women Association to help give Muslim women safety and assurance in difficult and trying circumstances.

Today she represents and gives voice to all women abroad as well as in Australia. She works at the local, national and international levels advising government on policy, services and strategies to create a harmonious community for future generations of Muslim and non-Muslim women.

In 2015 Maha was a finalist for the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Medal, and she was the 2014-15 NSW Human Rights Ambassador.

Caitlin Fitzsimmons is the editor of Money for the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. She writes a weekly column about the psychology of money, and fortnightly about our lives at work. Caitlin has worked in Sydney, London and San Francisco. Find her at Facebook.com/CaitlinFitzsimmons or on Twitter as @niltiac.

Zoe Lamont has been involved in a number of social impact programs including being the founder of 10thousandgirl. 10thousandgirl is a not-for-profit social enterprise improving women’s financial wellbeing through supporting Australian women with current income streams with the tools and motivation to map out their life goals and to understand the cornerstone financial principles that underpin long term saving and investing. In the process of bringing finance to life for over 10,000 women across Australia, 10thousandgirl has set a ripple effect in motion by providing microloans for women in extreme poverty to create new income streams a step up the economic ladder.

Jane Caro is an author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist, advertising writer and media and social commentator.

She has published five books and has recently published “Just a Queen” a sequel to her earlier work “Just a Girl” and “plain speaking jane”.

A regular on the Gruen Transfer she also appears in the media including weekly spots on Weekend Sunrise, and Sunrise. She has created, written, presented and co-produced for ABC Radio. She has also appeared on The Drum, Q&A, The Project, Daily Edition, Mornings on 9, Studio 10 and Today. She writes regular monthly columns for Mt (Management Today) Magazine, and the Sun Herald’s Sunday Life.

This year Jane was appointed the Financial Planning Week Ambassador by the Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA).

Adam has considerable experience in community development, social inclusion and financial services, working in Australia, Cambodia, England and New Zealand. He joined Good Shepherd Microfinance in 2012 from Reconciliation Australia, where his roles included Acting CEO, Director of Business Development and Director of Reconciliation Action Plans.

Adam was Head of Community Development Finance with ANZ from 2005 to 2008, prior to which he worked with development agency Concern Worldwide in Cambodia, where he helped establish Cambodia’s largest financially sustainable microfinance institution. Adam brings strong corporate, financial management and governance experience after senior roles with ANZ and Merrill Lynch, including CFO and Head of Finance.

Adam is a Board Director of PNG Microfinance Limited and a Board Committee Member of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. He is a past director of Foresters Community Finance in Australia, past co-chair of the Indigenous Financial Services Network and past director of AMK Microfinance in Cambodia.

Adam has a Masters in International Development, a Masters in Applied Finance and is an Australian CPA. In 2014, he completed Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Rethinking Financial Inclusion program and in 2013 completed Harvard Business School’s Strategic Leadership for Inclusive Finance Program.

In 2015 Adam was voted into Pro Bono News’ Impact 25 which recognises the most influential people in the Australian social sector.

As Chief Executive Officer Adam is responsible for identifying and developing Good Shepherd Microfinance’s strategic direction in collaboration with the board.

Since 2008, Elliot has been working in Australia and the Pacific to influence the way financial inclusion is understood and addressed. As the Head of Financial Inclusion at National Australia Bank (NAB) he leads the bank’s Microfinance programs, research and impact measurement in financial resilience and the Indigenous Inclusion initiatives with a range of community and government partners.

After university Beth started in small business in the UK. After constructing a 20 metre yacht, she ran a yacht charter business in Malacca, owned and operated a holiday hotel and botanical gardens in Devon and a game park and historic castle in Scotland.

Beth is also an experienced Company Director and business consultant who started her Hobart based consulting business in 2003. She has been a business development manager and consultant with KPMG in Melbourne, HR Manager Victoria with St Vincent de Paul and Australasian MD of SIRVA Corporation, a global relocation company.

With more than 35 years-experience in senior management and board positions, Beth’s contribution to businesses is now primarily around mentoring CEOs to improve both profitability and people management. She is the current Chair of St Michael’s Collegiate school, a Director of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens and has held other board positions with Comstar Systems, HR International, the MS Society and the Public Trustee.

She is alumni of UTAS, Uni of Queensland and University of Melbourne and was named as the overall winner of the 2015 Telstra Tasmanian Business Woman of the Year Award and the Entrepreneur of the Year.

Andrew leads the team that is responsible for the data management, analysis, benchmarking and research functions of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency. A key aspect of Andrew’s role is unlocking the potential of the Agency’s world leading dataset through internal insights and external collaboration.

Prior to joining the Agency in May 2016, Andrew worked in a range of roles across the public sector focused on best practice in data management and governance as well as statistical analysis and research. He firmly believes in the importance of using high quality data combined with innovative statistical methods to create insights and drive change.

Andrew holds a Masters in Applied Statistics as well as Bachelor of Applied Finance and a Bachelor of Commerce – Actuarial Studies. He is currently completing a Graduate Certificate in Business (Public Sector Management).

Professor Kristy Muir is the Research Director at the Centre for Social Impact (Business School) at UNSW Australia, a Professor of Social Policy and an elected academic member of UNSW’s Council.

Kristy leads academic and applied research projects that help understand, measure and find innovative solutions to complex social problems in Australia. She works closely with local, state and federal government and agencies, not-for-profit organisations and civic groups, businesses and philanthropic foundations and peak bodies. Since joining UNSW in 2005, she has brought in over $10.5 million for research and capacity building projects focusing on children, young people, families and communities in addition to a broad range of social issues including housing, economic engagement, disability, mental health, place-based disadvantage and financial inclusion.

Professor Muir is widely published and cited in journals, books and is frequently a headline speaker at social impact events and academic conferences in Australia and around the world. Kristy is a member of key social purpose committees including the NSW Premier’s Council on Homelessness, Opportunity Child and Financial Inclusion Action Plan leadership groups, and her research has had a significant impact on policy, investment and practice.

Kristy Muir is currently a member of the Centre for Social Impact Executive Leadership team. Between 2011 and 2013 she was the Associate Dean Research (ADR) of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UNSW. Her contribution in this role was recognised when she won the 2013 UNSW Staff Excellence Award for Senior Leadership. She was previously the Director of the Disability Studies and Research Centre, UNSW (2009-10) and held various roles at the Social Policy Research Centre, UNSW (2005-09).

Kristy has a PhD in social history and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is an alumnus of the Sydney Leadership Program and, prior to joining academia, worked in the not-for-profit sector.

Kylie is a financial services professional with over 20 years’ experience in the banking and wealth management industries. Kylie’s extensive experience has been accumulated through working for leading Australian financial services organisations, including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, its subsidiary Colonial First State, AMP Limited and Bankers Trust.

As General Manager, Corporate Responsibility Kylie is responsible for leading the advice, governance and stakeholder engagement required to execute the Commonwealth Bank’s corporate responsibility and community affairs strategies.

Kylie is a Trustee Director of the Commonwealth Bank’s employer superannuation fund, Group Super, a member of its Investment and Nominations Committees, and Chair of the Bank’s Indigenous Advisory Council.

A Professor and Principal Research Fellow in the School of Economics, Finance and Marketing at RMIT University, Roslyn has been researching financial literacy in Australia for over a decade and has contributed to the growing body of evidence of the importance of financial education in Australia. Much of her research has been commissioned by the financial, government and community sectors.

The foundation for Roslyn’s research over the last 10 years was formed by her work in evaluating Australia’s longest running financial literacy and matched savings program, Saver Plus and the widely used financial education training program, MoneyMinded. The success of these programs demonstrated to her the power of partnerships, the value of investment into financial education and the importance of women in bringing about change within the household and in the community.

In her role at RMIT University, Roslyn supervises a range of PhD projects including: economic abuse in young couples; use of alternative financial services among women micro-entrepreneurs; financial literacy in pre-service teachers; social and financial impacts of mobile phone banking; financial capabilities in Indigenous communities; and social impacts of microfinance in Australia.

Amanda comes from a legal, government and business background with over 20 years of experience working with First Australians. From government to practising as a criminal lawyer, her career has been fascinatingly diverse; from anti-corruption, business coaching, leadership training and more recently, as CEO of the First Nations Foundation working towards financial freedom for First Australians.

Mary is the General Manager — Business Development and Policy for HESTA and has been with the fund since early 2013. HESTA is one of Australia’s largest pension funds with over $33bn funds under management and over 800,000 members. Mary is a 2015 Churchill Fellow awarded for the completion of international research on equity for women in pension systems. Mary is a Councillor of the City of Glen Eira. Glen Eira City Council manages $1.4 billion of community assets and has the lowest operating cost per property of inner Melbourne councils. Mary is a Board Member of The Emergency Services Telecommunication Authority and an advisory panel member for the State Government, she is a past Chair of Reclink Australia, a National Not For Profit organisation offering sports and recreation opportunities to break the cycle for disadvantaged Australians. Mary holds a Masters of Finance (Corporate Advisory).

Jacinta helps businesses tap into the burgeoning female economy and mentors and inspires women so they can thrive across all levels of an organisation. She is an entrepreneurial thinker and innovator seeking to uncover the unique and intangible attributes of women as customers, employees and contributors to productivity and the wider community.

Jacinta has extensive expertise in strategy, leadership and business development – honed during an executive career with top ASX companies spanning three decades. She has co- crafted a series of personal development programs designed to shift an individual’s mindset across their personal lives and careers to ensure a win/win for women, business, the economy and the community.

Georgina Dent is a journalist, editor, former lawyer, speaker and a passionate advocate for women’s empowerment and gender equality.

She is a regular television commentator and has appeared on ABC’s Lateline, The Drum, Channel 9’s Today Show and Sky News. After qualifying as a solicitor in 2006, she left law to pursue a career in journalism, joining BRW magazine as a reporter.

While there she developed a keen interest in the subject of women and business, in particular, where were they all? It’s a question she’s remained focused on answering.

Having children of her own proved illuminating in a practical sense around the barriers that can and do impede women’s participation in the workforce. It has fuelled her determination to have Australia’s problem with women and work recognised and addressed.

She was recognised for her advocacy around women in the inaugural Women’s Empowerment Journalism Awards in Singapore in 2014, where she was a finalist in the journalist of the year category. In 2015 she was a finalist in the inaugural Our Watch Walkley Awards to recognise reporting of domestic violence.

Elaine is an international authority on consumer financial issues, with over 30 years’ experience of conducting research and contributing to policy development on various aspects of personal financial services, including banking, saving and investment, insurance, credit and mortgages and pensions. She is particularly known for her research into financial inclusion, over-indebtedness and financial capability.
Elaine was appointed as the first independent reviewer of the UK Banking Codes in 2002 and was also appointed to undertake the first independent assessment of the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Elaine has been a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee since 2003 and is an adviser on consumer protection to the Central Bank of Ireland. Formerly, she was a member of the HM Treasury Financial Inclusion Taskforce, European Expert Group on Financial Education and the BERR Advisory Group on Over-indebtedness.

In 2007 Elaine was awarded a CBE for services to the Financial Services Industry.

Melissa is the founder & CEO of an award winning accounting and advisory firm A+TA, co-founder of the boutique financial planning business, The Money Barre and co-founder and Director of Business at the long-day preschool, Thinkers.inq. All three businesses are pushing the boundaries in their fields, questioning what is possible and striving to be game-changers. After all, her philosophy if you’re going to be in business, you may as well disrupt and change lives for the better.

She is the author of two innovative, illustrated, books on money and business and has a fortnightly column in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age called Well Heeled. Melissa’s expertise lies with business strategy, tax advice, high net worth individuals, self-managed superannuation funds, financial strategies and helping business owners regain control of their business. She is passionate about inspiring, empowering and educating women in business.

Mr. Saul Eslake is an Australian Economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Research Division.

From 1995 to August 2009, he served as the Chief Economist at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. He served as the Chief Economist of National Mutual Funds Management (now AXA Australia), McIntosh Securities and Merrill Lynch International (Australia) Ltd.

Mr. Eslake has been a Non-Executive Director of Hydro-Electric Corporation since March 19, 2008. He serves as a Non-Executive Director of the University of Tasmania Foundation and the Tasmanian Education Foundation. Mr. Eslake has been a Director of The Australia Business Arts Foundation since 2010.

Mr. Eslake serves as a Member of the Commonwealth Government’s National Housing Supply Council, Foreign Affairs Council, National Long Term Tourism Strategy Steering Committee, and Tourism Forecasting Committee. He serves as a Member of the Advisory Committee of Wingate Asset Management Pty Limited. He serves as the Program Director of Grattan Institute.

Mr. Eslake holds a post-graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment, an Honours degree in Economics from the University of Tasmania, and has completed the Senior Executive Program at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business in New York.

Bianca Hartge-Hazelman is an entrepreneur and journalist who is renowned for her longstanding career covering financial and business news for some of Australia’s largest media companies. Her work has enriched publications – such as the Australian Financial Review and the Sydney Morning Herald, as well as programs – including Channel Nine’s Financial Review Sunday program, Fairfax Digital, ABC Radio, ABC’s Stateline, Sky News, The Weather Channel, WIN News and the Finance News Network in Sydney. Bianca created the online women’s finance magazine and money goal enabler website – financy.com.au after the realization, while on maternity leave with her second daughter, that the traditional lens applied to financial publications and content, was not empowering enough women towards financial independence, nor did it resonate deeply with the lifestyle pursuits of all women. Financy addresses this communication challenge through the delivering of hip-pocket money news and personal finance content that taps into the female psyche, connecting women with their goals, and uses tools of engagement, education and style to inspire women to live their best life. Bianca holds a Communications Degree, Master’s Degree in Journalism and Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance.

Tanya works in the areas of financial exclusion, income security, cost of living and essential services for people on low income. Notable contributions to knowledge in the area of women and money and financial inclusion are research projects including Microfinance and the Household Economy, Money Conversations: The impact of Microfinance Money Conversations on Financial Capability, Economic Abuse: Searching for Solutions, Restoring Financial Safety: Legal Responses to Economic Abuse and more recently Economic Security for Survivors of Domestic and Family Violence. She also contributes regularly to policy processes and enquires into this area. Before moving into the not-for-profit sector, Tanya worked in banking, primarily in branch management, statutory compliance and project management. She has a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in politics and policy studies), a Bachelor of Commerce (majoring in economics) and a Graduate Certificate in Policy and Applied Social Research.

Amy is the managing director of Executive Women Shortlists, a national search firm dedicated to facilitating talented female executives into top 200 ASX companies. It is the only recruitment agency in Australia with an exemption under the Equal Opportunity Act. Amy often writes and speaks on gender diversity and runs an event series for female leaders on ‘women, work and wealth. Amy is a Non Executive Director for WIRE- Women’s Information, a Salvation Army volunteer and a spokesperson for Mackillop Family Services Campaigns due to her participation as a foster carer.

Julie Kun is a proud feminist and CEO of WIRE Women’s information – a Victorian state-wide organisation with a vision of creating a society in which women are safe, respected, valued and empowered to make genuine choices in their lives. As a social worker and social justice campaigner Julie has worked across many community services areas including women, aged care, disability, CALD and Aboriginal services. Julie’s written work includes ‘Employment services- not just a job’ and two family and workplace best practice manuals. In 2015 Julie testified before the Family Violence Royal Commission about the impact of financial abuse on Victorian women . Whilst working at the Australian Services Union Julie led the successful and ground breaking campaign to have a family violence leave clause included in industrial agreements – the first such clause to form a part of an industrial agreement in the world. Just 5 years on nearly two million Australian workers are covered by this clause. Julie is also very proud of being a campaign organiser in the community services gender pay equity campaign.

Miles Larbey is the Senior Executive Leader with responsibility for financial literacy at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Miles is responsible for developing and delivering Australia’s national financial literacy strategy, which is underpinned by research and international best practice. ASIC’s award-winning MoneySmart website for consumers and investors, and ASIC’s work to promote financial education in schools are key achievements of ASIC’s strategy.

Prior to this role, Miles was the first General Manager of the Investor Education Centre in Hong Kong, where he was responsible for establishing the Centre and launching its Strategic Plan for 2013-16. He has a wealth of experience in consumer protection, banking conduct supervision and supervision of insurance companies, gained from working in senior roles in Australia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

Register

Program

9am

Welcome

Jane our Master of Ceremonies is an author, novelist, journalist, broadcaster, columnist, advertising writer and media and social commentator. A seasoned professional, she will be driving discussions and topics at the event.

10.00am

Getting down to business

Hear from CEOs across industries and sectors share their plans for improving financial inclusion and resilience especially for people on low incomes at the official launch of Financial Inclusion Action Plans (FIAP).

10.40am

Morning Tea

11.10am

The financial fairy tale

Storytime with author, Melissa Browne, who shares some of the happy and not-so-happy endings that women experience when it comes to finances.

Melissa is the founder & CEO of an award winning accounting and advisory firm A+TA, co-founder of the boutique financial planning business, The Money Barre and co-founder and Director of Business at the long-day preschool, Thinkers.inq.

12.00pm

Resilient women across the globe

Elaine is an international authority on consumer financial issues, with over 30 years’ experience of conducting research and contributing to policy development on various aspects of personal financial services. She is particularly known for her research into financial inclusion, over-indebtedness and financial capability.

12.30pm

Lunch

1.30pm

Sharing the stories of resilient women

Christine Nixon sits down with resilient women, including Telstra Business Woman of the Year 2015 Beth Mathison and No Interest Loan Scheme client Basia Emanuel each sharing their individual stories of financial adversity and resilience.

2.10pm

Understanding the steps to financial resilience

What women want: products and services

Are we meeting the needs of women when it comes to products and services? Have organisations tailored products and services to women’s lifestyles or are the majority using a one fits all size approach?

‘She works hard for the money’ – women, work & wealth

Businesses do better when women are supported to remain at work. What can they do to ensure their female employees aren’t penalised financially and are supported during caring responsibilities and other circumstances.

5.20pm

Close

Venue

EY Head office 200 George Street, Sydney

Good Shepherd Microfinance is Australia's largest microfinance organisation. It offers a suite of people centred, affordable financial programs and loans for people on low incomes. Its aim is to enable clients to realise their own economic wellbeing through appropriate financial services. Good Shepherd Microfinance's programs have reached more than 181,000 people previously excluded from mainstream banking access, with repayment rates consistently above 94 per cent.

Proudly supported by

Maha Abdo

CEO, Muslim Women Association

Maha has spent the last 23 years working together with the Muslim Women Association to help give Muslim women safety and assurance in difficult and trying circumstances.

Today she represents and gives voice to all women abroad as well as in Australia. She works at the local, national and international levels advising government on policy, services and strategies to create a harmonious community for future generations of Muslim and non-Muslim women.

In 2015 Maha was a finalist for the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Medal, and she was the 2014-15 NSW Human Rights Ambassador.